Joy and Gratitude are an Intriguing Upward Spiral
Sep 16, 2022
I finally picked up a copy of Brené Brown’s book, “Atlas of the Heart.” It’s a beautiful anthology of human emotions.
I immediately flipped to the section on joy and found this lovely excerpt:
“Researchers describe the relationship between joy and gratitude as an ‘intriguing upward spiral’…
The intriguing upward spiral goes like this:
Trait gratitude predicts greater future experiences of in-the-moment joy.
Trait joy predicts greater future experiences of in-the-moment gratitude…
It all just spirals up.”
Start with gratitude if you want to check out this “intriguing upward spiral” for yourself. Think of one item, experience, or person you are grateful for and go deep. Can you name five things about that item, experience, or person that present an opportunity for gratitude? For example, a classic choice is your morning beverage:
“I’m grateful for my morning coffee: the caffeine, the warmth, the ritual of brewing it, the taste, etc.” You could probably find even more opportunities for gratitude in this one beverage, “I’m grateful for the farmers, the sun that helped grow it, the roaster who prepared it with care, etc.”
Alternatively, pick a loved one, a pet, a friend, or a favorite.
Take a moment to experience gratitude and see what it does for your level of joy!
